Salvation
by The Bloody Red Queen Of Angst
Summary: Yuki lives in a cold world painted in stark, dismal shades of gray. Waiting. Hoping. That one day, finally, he might just find what he's looking for. A reason. Finally. To live. Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Baskets.
1. Four

**A/N: Okay. So, this is a new concept that is completely different for me. But...this is an idea that I have had for a really long time now. I welcome reviews. I embrace dialogue. But...know...that this is by far the closest story to my heart. And my soul. So...I only ask that you treat this work with kindness. Please.**

 **I'd also like to give special thanks to such authors as GlaxyVisonary, and Amethyst Creates. Because of you guys. Your courage. Your bravery. Your conviction in the face of a world of adversity. You...have given me the strength and resolve to make this work a reality.**

* * *

Walking through the crowded plaza, he felt...

Small.

Insignificant.

Nervous.

Anxious.

...afraid...

He felt, afraid.

But then, he always had around large groups of people.

Ever since he had been old enough to play outside with other children...on the rare occasions he was healthy enough to do so.

This deep-seated fear of others hand been so deeply ingrained in him since the very beginning.

 _'Don't get too close.'_

Because...he was cursed.

Afflicted.

...a freak...

Even his own mother saw him this way. As she walked along side by side with him in the crowded shopping center, even _she_ kept her distance. So much so, that she didn't even want him living with her under the same roof, having given him to his older cousin as a playmate.

...even she didn't want him...

Not really.

If she had, she would have kept him...wouldn't she?

Even on the rare occasions she came to see him. Take him out of the estate. He knew. She didn't really want to be with him. Even now, as they walked together, it was only because she had needed to take him to pick out a gift for his cousin. For the New Year's banquet. Even this outing wasn't about spending time with him.

It never was.

It was always about his cousin.

As they walked through the mall, looking for a gift, Yuki found his gaze and attention wandering elsewhere. To the lights. The trees. The beautiful decorations. The colors.

So many colors.

Reds.

Greens.

Gold.

Sliver.

Then his large, lavender eyes landed on all of the figurines. Taking them in with child like wonder and curiosity. He left the estate where he lived with his cousin so rarely that all of these novel objects held such a strange fascination for him. Holding his attention as he unintentionally slowed his walk, finally coming to stop at a display he'd never really seen before.

Small, porcelain figurines of people and animals were set in what looked like a barn. Circling a man and a young girl. In the middle...a tiny baby in a crib filled with straw. And all eyes were turned and centered around that child. Gazing upon him with the same awe and wonder that Yuki himself held.

Even at the tender age of four, Yuki could tell that the man, woman, and baby made a family. But...there was something he didn't quite understand. Something so completely foreign to him.

The expressions of the man and woman as they looked at the baby.

It seemed so...

...so...

Kind.

The soft, faintest hint of a smile painted on the figurine of the young mother. She was smiling. At her baby.

And Yuki suddenly found himself longing for that same look from his own mother.

"Yuki!" The harsh snap of his name called his attention back to reality as he met the stern expression of his mother. "What are you doing?" And...for a moment...he found himself at a loss for words.

But as he found the courage and bravery to use his voice, his own infantile features furrowed along the question now plaguing him as his large lavender eyes gazed intently at his mother.

Just one question.

"Mama..." His voice manifested soft and quite as he spoke. "...who are they..?" He asked, indicating the porcelain family in the barn as his mother met this question with a scowl.

"It's just a silly, pointless display for a holiday we don't observe." She retorted with a huff of disapproval towards his curiosity. "Come along. We're here to find a gift for Akito-Sama."

With this, she grabbed him along his tiny wrist with her long, bony finger as he let out a small whimpered squeak. A testament and sign of his cursed spirit.

Not his hand, like other mothers with their children. But his wrist. And she tugged him away from the display harshly as he gave one last wayward glance to the figuring mother gazing at her baby.

Wishing.

Hoping.

That one day...

...maybe...

He would receive the same kind smile.


	2. Seven

The metallic creek of the swing's chains were the only sound to keep him company in the otherwise silent and abandoned park.

That...and the cool autumn wind that caressed along his pallid cheeks, painting them a soft rouge.

He had come here many times before, when he had felt well enough to do so. And had even managed to meet a few of the children that lived near by and frequented this park. Dare he say, some of them had even become his friends.

The first he'd ever had.

Yet now, the park was empty.

Silent.

Abandoned.

Because none of those children returned here to play with him anymore.

Not anymore.

And...even if they had...Yuki knew that they would never notice him.

Not now.

Now...that they had forgotten him.

Had been _forced_...to forget.

Yuki understood that it was his fault. _All_ his fault. He was a freak, after all. And he'd broken the Sohma cardinal rule.

 _'Don't get too close.'_

And...he had.

It had been an accident, really. Even though it was his fault, he hadn't meant to. Yet during a game of tad, he'd bumped into one of the other little girls playing with him. And then...everything had changed. His whole world turned upside down and topsy-tervy.

And then...

...then...

They were all gone. All of them. Taken away from him, because of his mistake.

Looking to the sky...his large, dismal lavender gaze taking in the encroaching clouds shadowing his existence...Yuki began to wonder if this was really his fate.

To be alone.

And as if sensing this deep longing and sadness, Yuki felt the first traces of autumn rain. Cold. Wet. Damp. As if the sky itself were crying for him. A pathetic wrenched, cursed creature destined to be forever alone.

The cold, bitter, biting rain hitting his face reminded him of his place in this world. A cold, harsh reminder echoed with the even colder words his cousin had spoken to him only days ago...

 _ _"Akito, am I__ _ _ **really**__ _ _that strange? Am I__ _ _ **so**__ _ _strange that we have to hide it from everyone?"__

 _ _"Hmph.. yes, you__ ** _ **are**_** __that strange."__

 _ _"A human that turns into a__ ** _ **rat**_** _ _?"__

 _ _"What do you think they would__ ** _do i_** _ _f they knew?"__

 _ _"Really, you're__ ** _a freak_** _ _."__

 _ _"They wouldn't come__ ** _ **near**_** __you. They'd__ ** _ **HATE**_** __you."__

Akito's words echoed in his ears.

And...his cousin had been right...

Yet as cold as he felt, swinging alone in the park, Yuki still found himself longing for something. Anything at all, to warm this bitter chill that had settled itself in his soul.

Maybe...if he wished hard enough...he would find what he was looking for. Someday. If he wanted it badly enough...it would come and find him... Right?

A purpose.

A reason.

A warm smile.

A kind expression or word.

...a friend...

Surely, these things weren't too much to ask for. Even for a freak like him.

As he continued to look longingly towards the sky for that _one_ thing...a reason to hope...he heard it.

Off in the distance.

The sound...of a bell.


	3. Eight

**A/N: Just a heartfelt thank you to all who have supported this so far. Truly. Most especially with this story, I can't even express how humbled I am. Your guys' love and support continually humbles and surprises me. With every view, read, addition to your reading list, and review, I am filled with gratitude. So...with few words to express how I truly feel... Thank you.**

* * *

Trudging slowly through the snow and bitter cold, Yuki made his way back to the estate after a long, arduous day at school. As he grew, little by little, his health had improved. So much so that he had recently begged his cousin and the head of the Sohma family to begin attending public school over the private instruction he was receiving at the estate side by side with Akito. Though Akito had seemed reluctant to let him leave his side, Yuki had been persistent until his cousin finally conceded with the exception that Yuki go to an all boys school and return immediately back to him at the end of the day.

After all...he didn't want a repeat of his little mishap a year ago, did he?

As a new student, the other children at this school had wanted to talk to him. Approach him. Say hello. But...out of anxious, fear riddled habit, Yuki kept his distance. Pushed them away. Kept them at arm's length.

 _All_ of them.

...because...at long last...he had _finally_ learned his lesson.

 _'Don't get too close.'_

And as he walked through the snow in his boots, the weight of his book bag feeling like the entire world along his shoulders, Yuki contemplated the new nick name he had gained from his peers.

Ice Prince.

He didn't like it. Not one bit. But...he supposed that maybe it fit.

And _that_ felt far worse than everything else.

That he actually deserved this new label.

Making his path quietly, his gaze down cast and expression downtrodden, Yuki passed an elaborate brick building. And its overwhelming presence captured his attention and fascination as it reached to the sky. Like a hand reaching to grasp the stars. Large, vast steps covered in snow made their way to broad wooden double doors. And the windows.

...the windows...

They were made of some of the most beautiful glass Yuki had ever seen. Their shapes and colors depicting images of people crowned in gold. And some with wings.

He'd never imagined people with wings.

And they were simply the most stunning creatures he'd ever seen.

The curious nature of his cursed spirit getting the best of him, Yuki found himself tentatively and shyly ascending the massive steps to this building. The weight of his book bag and stature of his boyish body making the task seem very difficult.

But if the _outside_ of this place was this beautiful, Yuki thought to himself, then the inside must _surely_ be beyond his wildest imaginings. And well worth the climb to the front doors.

Catching his breath as he made the plateau, the cold winter air burning his fragile lungs, Yuki make his way to the doors. One foot in front of the other. Unsure of his decision, but so desperately wanting to know what was on the inside.

It _must_ be something beautiful, he thought.

His large lavender eyes regarded and scrutinized the large doors before he finally extended a gloved hand to push open the one to the right. And to his surprise, the door seemed to give way easily enough under his lack of strength. And he found himself growing so strangely eager in anticipation of what was just beyond.

Oh, how he so desperately longed...to see something beautiful.

But as the door gave way and he entered, Yuki was met with a darkened entry way. And another set of double doors just beyond that. Yuki found himself somewhat disappointed in this discovery as his eyes adjusted to the lower level of light. Taking in the various items within this entrance, Yuki saw books, pamphlets, a variety of charms. Some on chains, some on their own. And...cards. Though they didn't seem like the normal ones kept in stores. They seemed smaller, and didn't open up like the greeting cards he'd seen before.

Taking one, Yuki gazed intently at its front. The scene looked so familiar. Like the little figurine family he'd seen in the crowded plaza years ago, only this seemed to be a colorful painting of them. But there they all were. The father. The mother. Looking tenderly at their baby.

A look he had yet to receive from his own mother as she came to visit him less and less often at the Sohma estate. Just another thing he'd come accustomed to in accepting his place in life.

Her absence.

As his large lavender eyes took in the detailing of this painted scene he held in his gloved hand, suddenly and without warning the doors to the interior of the building came pushed open as someone on the other side unexpectedly appeared in the entrance where Yuki stood.

Yuki's eyes frantically darted to meet the equally startled expression of an aging man dressed in all black, except for the faintest of white along the collar of his attire.

"Oh!" The old man exclaimed in surprise as he met the young boy's startled expression, and Yuki feared being scolded for having been somewhere he shouldn't.

"I'm sorry!" Yuki squeaked out like the wretched, cursed child that he was as he quickly scurried through the doors back into the cold.

And he ran.

It wasn't until he was several blocks away that he slowed and suddenly realized that he still had the card in his gloved hand. Yuki felt ashamed for having run away with something that didn't belong to him. But...he was far too scared to turn around and go back to return it for fear of getting into further trouble with the old man he'd just run away from. So...for now...he decided to keep it. Take very good care of it, until he became brave enough to one day go back and return it to its rightful owner and apologize.

Continuing to look at it as he walked home, Yuki fiddled with it in his gloved hand, turning it over to discover something that had been printed on the back.

 _Prayer to the Holy Family_

 _Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, like you we are members of the Father's family. We pray that our community may reflect His love and His openness to all people. May we forgive even when not forgiven and be patient with others' weaknesses._

 _Jesus, give us peace, unity, and strength to meet the difficulties of daily living. May we use our resources to improve the quality of life for our selves and others. Let us show joy in serving for whatever we do for others, we do for You._

 _Mother Mary, inspire us that our love may be strong but not possessive. Let our willingness to give depend on the needs of others rather than on the cost of giving._

 _St. Joseph, help us to be attentive to the Father's will. Let us be ready as you were to act whenever He calls us._

 _HAPPY FEAST DAY of the HOLY FAMILY!_

 _Holy Family, protect us._

As he read this, a small, whimsical smile tugged along his otherwise stoically youthful features.

So...this family had a name.

And...you could ask them for things? Like protection?

That was nice, Yuki thought. As he read the card again, he found himself thinking that this family sounded so very kind. Kinder than the one he had been born into. And as he walked home that day, ever the curious creature he was, Yuki began to wonder what it might feel like...

To be a part of a family like this one.


	4. Nine

Yuki perched himself along the sill of one of the large windows overlooking the extravagant, lavish gardens of the estate. Thick dark lashes veiled large, lavender eyes towards the chill of the budding spring breeze. Still cool...but warmer than winter.

Spring...

This was always a difficult season.

...for Akito...

The change in weather and temperatures always seemed to trigger his illness. Yuki had been much the same when he was younger. But his cousin still seemed to fall so easily into illness with the change of the seasons.

Today...was one of those days. Akito was sick. And Yuki had been kept home from school today to keep him company. Ever his faithful playmate and companion.

...thus...was Yuki's place in life.

But he took it in stride.

In these moments. When he was kept from others...and Akito was too sick for little more than bed rest...he would steal himself away to here. The gardens.

...with the card he still hadn't quite managed to return just yet... Even though he'd passed that same large, beautiful building many times since his first visit over a year ago. Certainly, a small part of him was still frightened to go back for fear of being in trouble for stealing. But Yuki had to admit that this particular feeling of fear had largely diminished over the months as they passed. Replaced, really...with something else.

A tender fondness, of sorts. For a family he secretly longed for.

This fondness caused the small twitch of a tender smile along his stoic, palled features as he fingered the small, laminated card hidden within the sleeve of his kimono. He decided that, being alone now, it was safe. And so Yuki drew out the picture that always managed to bring a sense of peaceful calm to him when he looked at it. And the words printed along the back never ceased to give him an amount of solace for accepting his place in life.

 _'Jesus, give us peace, unity, and strength to meet the difficulties of daily living.'_

Reading those words. On a day like today. They brought him such comfort as he sat in the window, gazing upon the outside world. Unable to fully be a part of it. On days like this, he read these words to do exactly that. To gather strength to meet the difficulties of daily living.

It...made him feel better.

"YOU!" This came screamed from across the garden in a shrill, boyish cry that pulled his lavender gaze from the picture in his hand. "You JERK!" Yuki's eyes took in the angry, aggressive form of his younger cousin, Haru.

Younger by a year.

And Yuki gave himself over to a small sigh as he turned the card picture down on his lap, placing the sleeve of his kimono over it as he held his cousin's hateful gaze with an impassive expression.

"I hate your guts!" Haru yelled as he stalked along the garden's path in his plain training keikogi. "It's the rat's fault everyone laughs at the cow! They call the cow a fool and an idiot!" His voice quivered in unhinged rage towards Yuki, his steely gray gaze glistening with hot, angry tears. "IT'S YOUR FAULT, YOU DIRTY MEAN STINKING RAT!"

Yuki took a breath.

In through the nose. Out through his mouth.

His gaze left the infuriated expression of his cousin to the small card secretly stowed away on his lap. And the words that stared up at him. And a small, soft smile lifted his lips as he truly contemplated their meaning.

 _'...we are members of the Father's family..._

 _We pray that our community may reflect His love and His openness to all people._

 _May we forgive, even when not forgiven, and be patient with others' weaknesses.'_

"…Well…" Yuki's words came in a pensive tone as soft as his smile as he continued to gaze upon these wondrously courageous words. "..is it true?" He asked, his kind lavender eyes finally lifting to his younger cousin with that same soft smile. "About _you,_ I mean." This came in slow, contemplative clarification to the question as he held his cousin's steely glare. "Is that what _you_ are?" Yuki gave the small quirk of his head as he held fast to his place along the window sill. "Are _you_ a fool?"

And Yuki watched in fascination as his little cousin's furious expression contorted as Haru roughly wiped at his face with the sleeve of his training uniform.

"No." This came forced and strained through the quiver of his lip and beading tears along his eyes. "No, I'm not." Haru gave himself over to a small sniffle as he held Yuki's wise, steady gaze. "I'm... I'm _not_ a fool." His voice died off from its source of rage and fire as his gaze finally fell to the ground below him. "I'm _not_ a fool..."

"Mhm…" This came in a soft, contemplative whisper and that whimsical expression as Yuki smiled to himself with the small shake of his head. "I didn't think so."

And as Yuki read those same words scrawled along the card held in his lap, he marveled at their sheer power when put into action.


	5. Ten

Walking into the dojo's public wash room, Yuki looked forward to a cold drink of water and a quick wash after a particularly satisfying session of martial arts training. It was funny. Having been so physically weak and fragile as a younger child, he'd never really put much effort into physical activity. Not until recently as his health steadily improved. Though books had always been a steady companion to him, the characters his ever faithful friends for the ones he lacked in life, Yuki found that martial arts seemed to come quite naturally to him. _'Gifted,'_ Kazuma sensei had called him.

...much to the chagrin of his cousin, Kyo...

Who...in fact...had been training for _far_ longer with sensei than Yuki himself.

Yet today's match proved Yuki the victor and Kyo's superior in talent and skill. And...Yuki knew... Kyo absolutely _despised_ him for it. A sentiment Yuki was no stranger to. Not that this really mattered. Yuki had never cared for what Kyo, of all people, thought of him. Especially on a day like today.

He'd been allowed to go to school. He found out that he'd done quite well on the exam he'd studied very hard for the previous week, receiving high marks and praise from his teacher. So ending this day with a victory against his cousin under his belt left Yuki feeling uncharacteristically proud of himself.

Not a feeling he was allowed to grasp often. So the times he did...Yuki made a point to hold it close and cherish it like a precious treasure.

Grabbing the bottle of water from his training bag, he gave a small smile towards the card he now carried with him wherever he went. The kind faces of the father, mother, and baby always there for every one of Yuki's trials and successes. No longer stolen, but rightfully his.

...a gift...

Because, when he had finally worked up the courage to go back to that wondrous building and return the card, Yuki had once again run into that strange old man. The one he'd run away from the first time he'd come.

The old man introduced himself to Yuki as Father Chen. A Jesuit priest from China. But Yuki found it far too awkward to call the man Father, as he was nowhere even near a father figure to Yuki and...from what he had explained to the boy when asked...the old man had no children of his own. So, he was really no manner of father at all. But...Yuki took a liking to him, and asked if he could call him Mister Chen instead. To which, much to Yuki's relief, the old man seemed amused to agree to. And upon seeing that Yuki had come to return the family he'd become so deeply attached to, Mister Chen simply let him keep the card.

Yuki had returned to the building several times after that to say hello to the kind old man.

Fishing out the small card from his bag as he took another drink, Yuki found himself reveling in the true rarity of a good day. And, as silly as it sounded, he liked the idea of having a family to be able to share this feeling with.

"There you are, ya dumb rat!"

And just like that...Yuki's joy seemed to dissipate with the abrasive herald of his cousin's arrival into the public wash room.

"What do you want, stupid cat?" This came a low, sour retort...the hand holding the photo falling limp to his side as Yuki kept his back to his cousin.

"Whadda ya think?!" Kyo spat. "I wanna a rematch!" This came almost growled in fierce determination. "And this time I'm gonna win!"

Yuki hung his head, and a small exasperated sigh pushed itself through his nose before he spared a cold, sardonic glance over his shoulder.

"Wait..." Yuki deadpanned flatly in that soft, cordial tone he always held. "...I think I've heard that one before."

"I mean it!" Kyo quipped harshly, jutting his finger in Yuki's direction as the two now faced each other head on. "Today was just a fluke! I wanna rematch to prove it!"

"No thanks." Yuki retorted flatly, taking another drink from the water bottle before haphazardly tossing back into his bag. "Not interested."

"Come and fight me!" Kyo persisted, his voice a little louder as he stalked closer to his cousin.

"I said no." Yuki stated firmly, holding his ground as he continued to absentmindedly grasp the card in his hand.

And suddenly that hateful crimson gaze zeroed in on Yuki's precious possession.

"What's that?" Kyo asked gruffly as he stalked forward. "That a picture of your girlfriend, rat boy?" He jeered at Yuki's expense before roughly snatching the laminated card from Yuki's grasp.

"Give it back!" Yuki screamed as crimson eyes shifted from his distraught expression to furrow in bemusement towards the picture.

"What the hell _is_ this?" Kyo asked as he looked at the card, now completely befuddled.

"It's _mine!"_ Yuki shrieked at having had his family ripped away from him. "Give it back, Kyo!" His small hands curled themselves into tight fists in warming.

"Or what?" Kyo smirked at feeling he had the upper hand in this situation, holding the card hostage to his cousin before Yuki let out a startling, guttural scream.

Without warning Yuki's fist met the bridge of Kyo's nose in violent, harsh contact with a stomach churning thud. Sending the other boy stumbling back before landing to the wash room floor on his backside in agony, holding his face. And Yuki's primal scream gave itself over to Kyo's more startled, pain laced cries as he gasped for air. Taking a moment before stalking towards his cousin, Yuki rescued his family from the floor where Kyo had dropped them when he fell before roughly grabbing his training bag and leaving the room without another word.

He would wash at the estate.

On that day...as he left his cousin with a bloody nose...Yuki learned two invaluable life lessons.

The first...was that his forgiveness and patience would be more difficult to give to some than others.

The second...

If he wanted to avoid breaking his hand the next time he hit Kyo in the face, he needed to improve his form.


	6. Twelve

Pain.

There was still...

So. Much. Pain.

It was Monday.

The beginning of a new week.

And he desperately wished that he could wash himself of the memories and pain of last week.

Last week...Yuki had been late. Once. In returning to the estate. Back to Akito. Because he had lost track of time in this safe haven. Had lingered a little too long in the church he now called his second home. By complete accident. And when he had finally returned. He knew.

Yuki knew.

With a beckoning look, Akito had led him through the halls in silence. To a vacant room. And with a firm voice, Akito uttered a single word.

Stay.

And...Yuki did, as he watched his cousin leave him. Akito was the head of the family, after all. Almost on the verge of 16. Older. Stronger with age than Yuki, even in his frailty. So...Yuki did as he was told.

He stayed.

When Akito returned, he carried something with him. A metallic pail in either hand. Placing them along the floor with an ominous thud, he gazed upon Yuki with those deep obsidian eyes.

Yuki would never forget that look he'd received.

Ever.

Then, Akito uttered another low command.

Paint.

And...though he didn't understand...Yuki did as he was told.

He painted that empty room. Every day that week, when he came home from school, he painted. Until everything was black.

Everything.

The walls. The ceiling.

...the floor...

He did _just_ as he had been told.

Yuki finished on Thursday evening. With a nod of approval from Akito, he went about the rest of the day as normally as he could while the room dried. Completing his homework and attending class the next day.

But...when he returned from school that Friday afternoon...

When he came back...

Akito was waiting for him.

And the Hell he had endured painting that room black came to fruition as he was led to and violently shoved into that empty room he had just painted.

This alone would have been terrible to endure. Being locked away in a room void of light and color. Starved of food from Friday afternoon until he had been release Monday morning in order to attend school.

Yes.

That alone would have been torture enough.

Yet...over the weekend he was kept locked away in that black room...Yuki had _also_ endured savage, physical abuse from his older cousin.

Over the weekend, he was beaten.

Over.

And over again.

Simply for his transgression of having lingered a little too long at the church he so loved...not that Yuki had said _anything_ of why he and been late. Or where he had been.

He wouldn't.

He couldn't.

The fear of having Akito know where he had _really_ been...

It was too much.

So he remained silent, save for the wretched, vial, pathetic screams ripped from his lips by Akito's hand. And...Akito's words that still lingered and echoed in his mind. Even now.

 _"_ _Why didn't you listen to what I say?_ ** _I_** _am the head of this family. Do you think_ _ **you**_ _could go against_ ** _me_** _and_ _ **not**_ _pay the price?"_

Even now...he remembered. It hurt. There was pain. So much pain. It had hurt. Everywhere. But he couldn't turn away. The pain just continued to grow upon itself, blistering and bubbling over into agony as he felt himself begin to cry. So weak. So very weak. Too weak to hold back the pathetic whimpers escaping him. Weak and pathetic…pathetic enough to begin begging…

 _"_ _Uh… Stop it... Stop it. Stop it!"_

Then...to add insult to injury, Yuki was made to attend school today, after his weekend of abuse, baring the possessive marks and tender bruises along his flesh for his classmates to see. And question.

It was...humiliating.

Sitting along the edge of one of the benches...called a pew, if he remembered right...Yuki settled himself with the most disheartening fact of all.

His head hung low. Veiled by the jacket hood he'd pulled over his head to hide the bruises. Yuki knew that this would be the last time he would _ever_ come back to the church.

Never again...

Never would he come back here.

The fear of returning to that black room was too much.

He sat in that pew, allowing some of the built up sorrow to cascade down his cheeks from his otherwise lifeless eyes. As he contemplated his decision to never come back, he absorbed the somber Gregorian Chant emanating from the choir loft. Its slow, sad, melodic tones contouring themselves to Yuki's grief-stricken soul. And Yuki silently argued with himself over at least saying farewell to Mister Chen.

Now tenderly referred to as Grandpa Chen.

But...Yuki didn't have the strength or resolve to endure this separation. So...in silence...he left the church without so much as a word.

Vowing never to return.


	7. Fourteen

**A/N: This comes as a thank you to my dearest friend, StringInRepair. You have my deepest gratitude, and I hope that you know why.**

 **My apologies if this feels a little off, as this is the first chapter I have done returning to this. But, I hope you all enjoy this. Know that this will continue. Maybe sporadically, but I won't let this one go.**

 **And thank you all who have supported this work. Your love and support keep me brave, when I am not, and wanting to continue with this.**

* * *

Running as fast as he could, he felt the crisp fall air painfully rushing into his burning lungs.

But.

That pain didn't matter.

All of the pain he had endured up until this very moment.

None of it mattered.

Not now.

Not with the news he had just received.

The ache of his legs, close to giving out on him.

The flames scorching his throat.

The sting of his eyes as he continued to push himself.

None of this pain could stop him from running.

Climbing the stone steps, the long length of his adolescent legs allowed him to scale them two at a time. And in his haste, he nearly fell to his knees when he had reached the top. But even then, he couldn't stop. Not now. With all of the time that had passed him by. Banished to a darkness few knew, and none could possibly imagine. So he pushed himself forward. Running into the doors he knew would push open with the weight and sheer force he used. And he plunged himself into an entirely different kind of darkness. The darkness before dawn. Darkness that promised light. But once inside the entryway, his legs trembled so that he simply couldn't move forward through the next set of beautiful double doors. Placing his hands to his knees as he hunched over himself, he took in one excruciating breath after another. He felt that he was on the verge of an asthma attack, though they came so rarely now.

So rarely, that, he wasn't entirely sure if he had remembered to take his inhaler with him on this venture.

This should have filled him with fear. But, having reached this place. Being here again, when he had been so sure he would never be allowed to return. It filled him with a sense of peace he never believed he was worthy of. But...it was there, as surely as the calming of his heart and the easing of his pained lungs. It was there. In this place. And so there was he, too. But before he could use his regained calm and strength to move forward into the inner holy sanctum of this building, someone came out to investigate his boisterous arrival.

Though it had been two years, and he was certain of how he himself had changed and grown, the face that greeted him hadn't change at all. In all this time, with his absence, nothing had changed. And he was filled with a profound sense of joy, though the one who now stood before him in the entryway seemed just a bit alarmed.

"Grandpa Chen!" Yuki greeted through faint breathlessness and a smile that was larger and far less reserved than he was use to offering other people.

The elderly priest looked upon the young boy on the cusp of manhood. And at first it seemed as if he didn't recognized the boy until a warm, wide smile of recognition spread along his lips. His withered features one of joy and surprise over the young man's sudden and unexpected return.

"Yuki?" The old priest asked, and Yuki immediately nodded with the eager bob of his head, pleased that the old man remembered him after all this time.

"I'm sorry if I startled you." Yuki apologized with the blush of his cheeks, feeling his exuberant behavior had been quite undignified and unbecoming of his normally demure nature.

"It's been so long, child!" The man chuckled and clucked, ushering Yuki forward, welcoming him inside of the empty church despite the way Yuki had left without so much as a farewell.

"I'm sorry." Yuki apologized again, this time feeling the full weight of his absence.

It had been two years.

Two long, dark years since he had left this place, vowing never to return. But the news he had received today had brought him back. And, to his heart's joy, there was no one else that he wanted to share this news with. Though he hadn't been sure the old priest would still be here, he'd had faith.

"I have something wonderful to tell you." Yuki now whispered, unable to contain his excitement as the two of them sat in one of the pews of the church among the hymnal books.

Books filled with songs of praise his own heart now sang. Not only because of their beauty, but because he now comprehended their meaning, in some small way.

"What is it, child?" The priest asked in a low whisper, his aged featured filled with curiosity.

"I'm moving." Yuki replied through the little smile he tried to hide. "I asked. And," He gave a small pause, his eyes drifting towards the church's alter. "The head of my family has allowed me to move out of our family's main estate and live with my cousin."

Even now, as Yuki spoke these words, he still found himself in awed disbelief of this reality. He had no idea why Akito had allowed this. What Shigure had said, in order to convince him. But...it was true. Yuki would finally leave the confines of the main estate. And everything he had gone through. In that place. At the hands of Akito. It all seemed like some awful, terrible dream. And he was finally awake.

Finally.

Though Yuki only spoke vaguely of why he had left and what he had gone through, offering very little detail, the old man listened anyway. He didn't ask many questions, and he shared in Yuki's joy, before Yuki said that he had needed to go. But that he would be returning. Very soon. All of the time, now that he could.

"Yuki." The old man murmured before Yuki stepped back outside into the Autumn cold.

"Yes?" He asked, his youthful features and large lavender eyes inquisitive towards the old man's expression.

"You should come back this Sunday." The priest suggested to him. "At ten, if you can."

"Sunday?" Yuki asked, watching how the man smiled. "What will happen on Sunday?"

"Something that I think you will like." The old man replied with that smile. "Something I think that you will like, very much."

And Yuki left, promising to come at the specified time and day. Curious as to what it was that he would see.


	8. Sunday

**A/N: Wishing you all a most blessed Feast of Christ the King. 10.28.2018.**

 **Special thanks to Cyber Rouge for their review of chapter 7. God Bless, my dear friend.**

* * *

Grandpa Chen had been right about Sunday.

Through all of the banquets and endless celebrations that had been held in Akito's honor, Yuki had never before witnessed what he had just seen today.

Never before had he seen so many in the church he'd grown so fond of. This made him feel a sense of expectant exhilaration. But even this feeling couldn't entirely mask that same, deeply ingrained sense of fear. That same old familiar feeling that reminded him of who he was through the faintest silent whisper.

 _Don't get too close_.

So, he sat at the back of the church. Dutifully separating himself from the others here in order to hold fast to his family's secret. But, from where he perched himself along one of the vacant chairs against the wall, Yuki watched how these people greeted one another without fear of being rejected. Sitting amongst each other. Strangers though they were, all together for a single, united purpose. And Yuki felt the curiosity of his cursed spirit move and stir within him.

Everyone seemed to know what was about to happen.

And.

Yuki found that he couldn't wait to find out what that might possibly be.

What was it...that they were all so eagerly waiting for?

Then.

It happened.

A hush fell along the quietly murmured conversations.

And the soft, chime-like ring of a bell caused everyone to stand as one.

Yuki didn't know what to do. So. He stood with them, though he didn't know why. But, he did it anyway. And then he saw Grandpa Chen, dressed in a beautiful vestment Yuki had never seen him in before. Such vibrant colors. Such extravagant detail. Yuki found it _so_ beautiful and visually stimulating that he merely stared in wonder as the priest walked by him before coming up the middle of the isle. When he reached the alter at the front of the church, everyone lowered to their knees.

But.

Yuki sat instead.

He had spent so much of his life on his knees.

Cowering in a corner, begging his cousin to stop hurting him.

But he remained attentive and respectfully silent as the old man began to speak in a tongue he'd never heard before. But...it sounded familiar from the chants he had heard only a handful of times before. Even though he couldn't understand what the priest was saying, he sensed its importance and reverence by the way these people prostrated themselves while listening.

What the old man said...

It _must_ have been important.

And so this event continued. The priest spoke. There were responses. Yuki stood at the back of the church when everyone else did. Sat...when everyone else went to their knees. But then it happened. Again, there was the soft sound of the chime-like bell. And. The priest raised his hands, holding something. Something small. Raising it above his head for everyone to see. Yuki had no idea what it was. But. When he saw it, he immediately fell to his knees. And a profound sense of smallness washed over him. Not the degrading, belittling smallness that he felt standing next to his cousin, Akito. But a smallness that assured him that...whatever this was...it was so much bigger than him. And the only response was to submit himself in willful prostration.

He didn't understand.

But.

He followed what his heart had compelled him to do.

And it suddenly felt so very right to him. To be on his knees, though he didn't comprehend why.

As he lowered his gaze to the floor beneath him, he saw from his peripheral the people beginning to stand and go to the old man. Going to him...to receive something. Something important. Something precious. Something very special. But Yuki stayed on his knees. Something told him that this gift wasn't meant for him.

Not yet.

But he held himself prostrated in awe of what he felt.

When the event had concluded. And the people began to leave. Yuki stayed behind in the church. Determined to ask Grandpa Chen about what he had just been witness to.

He wanted to know more about Sunday.


	9. Fifteen

"You're very bright, Yuki." This came softly murmured in a kindly, deep withering voice. "And you're inquisitive. Curious." These words came warm with praise.

Yuki gave a faint smile to the strange, positive attention he was now receiving. Entering his first year at Kaibara High School, a co-ed institution, he had already been made well aware of his intellectual prowess. By his teachers. _And_ his many admirers. But. It seemed to mean so much more coming from the old man. The priest. Grandpa Chen.

"Tell me, child." The old man murmured to Yuki. "Do you like to read?" And the soft smile along Yuki's lips lifted just a bit further.

He'd _always_ loved books. From a very early age, the characters within the pages of each story had been some of his closest friends.

"Yes." Yuki whispered lightly to the old man with the small, quiet bob of his head. "Very much so."

When everyone else around him had abandoned and shunned him.

His mother.

His brother.

The other cursed members of his family.

His childhood friends.

When everyone around him had so coldly rejected him, one by one, it had only confirmed what his cousin had so adamantly stated. That, because of his cursed zodiac spirit, he was truly and utterly unlovable. But the characters in the books he read? At least they had stayed to keep him company in his loneliness. Books. Reading. A genuine thirst for knowledge. These had remained a constant companion to him.

These, and the idea of a family that would love him back. Even if they were only figurines, or printed on paper. The thought of a mother that would embrace him, and a father that would take pride in him. Parents that would smile at him. His precious paper family meant so very much to him. And... They gave Yuki hope for the day he might receive the love and acceptance he so desperately craved.

...one day...

"If you enjoy reading, then I have something you might just like." Grandpa Chen murmured quietly, lifting Yuki's dour thoughts to the present moment.

As he looked to the old man, the priest presented him with an incredibly thick, old book. Yuki took it, feeling the weight of it. And he found himself intrigued.

"What is this?" Yuki asked curiously, his large amethyst eyes lifting from the book to the aging priest.

"You remember that payer card I gave you, child?" The old man asked, referring to Yuki's prized possession as he lightly bobbed his head.

"Yes." Yuki whispered softly. "I remember."

"That child." The man said. "That baby?" And Yuki nodded again, once, remembering how the mother and father looked so lovingly upon their newborn child. "This book. It tells you _all_ about _Him_ , child."

"When should I bring it back to you?" Yuki questioned lightly, looking from the book to the old man.

And the kindly old priest just smiled at him, shaking his head with a soft chuckle.

"It's yours to keep, child."

Yuki gazed at the book in awe and childlike wonder, beside himself with anticipation and excitement. And, he found that he simply couldn't wait to begin this story.

* * *

 **A/N: I can't even express how humbled I am. With each loving review. The way that this story has been so openly embraced by all of you. I have no words. Thank you. From the very bottom of my heart and the depths of my soul, thank you.**


	10. The First Noel

__And the Word was made flesh, and made His dwelling among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth.__

 _ _-John 1:14__

* * *

Stepping into the home, he did his best to shake off the cold as he crossed the threshold into the entryway. Though loaded down with the bags he carried, along with the weight of the schoolbag upon his shoulders, his heart was light.

"Well, well, well!" Came this cheery greeting from down the hallway as his amethyst gaze met that of his older cousin and now current guardian. "Look who's finally home!" Shigure chuckle out, taking in the teen's bundled appearance.

"Hello, Shigure." Yuki gave this demure, light greeting with the nod of his head.

"I was _just_ about to call in the cavalry to go find you!" Shigure said, and Yuki rolled his eyes, though bared a faint smile to his cousin's greeting.

"Very funny, Shigure." He murmured quietly as he began to use one foot to remove the shoe of the other, not wanting to set down his bags.

"So where have you been?" Shigure asked, eyeing the young man with an impish grin. "On a date at the mall with a pretty high school girl, perhaps?" And the faint smile Yuki _had_ held for his cousin fell into a taught line.

"No." He answered crisply, and a little too quickly to quell his cousin's suspicion.

"Oh, ho- _ho_!" Shigure teases, a light glint held within his warm brown eyes as he casually leaned himself against the wall and crossed his arms along his chest, tucking his hands within the sleeves of his gray kimono. "I knew it!" He grinned. "Our little Yuki had a date! The blush of your cheeks tells the truth!" Shigure chuckled and clucked as he continued to playfully tease Yuki.

"I just came from outside." Yuki snapped in a terse tone with a scowl to follow. "It's cold." He said. "Of _course_ my cheeks are red."

"Fine, fine." Shigure chuckled out. "So you _weren't_ on a date. _Dash_ my dreams." His features ebbed from his normal mischievousness to a kinder expression as his eyes went from Yuki's bags back to his face. "So what _were_ you doing, then?" This came a sincere question, and amethyst eyes drifted to the floor in contemplation before Yuki spoke.

"I thought I would get something for Akito." Yuki spoke softly. "To give to him at the New Years banquet." And as he looked downwards to the floor, he missed the dubious look Shigure had spared him.

"Well that's very thoughtful of you, Yuki." He heard the slight doubt in Shigure's calm tone. "But...the banquet isn't until next week."

"I know that." Yuki mumbled lightly, not lifting his gaze. "But I thought I would get it done and out of the way after school this afternoon." As he said this, he lifted his eyes from the floor to look at his cousin. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you I had planned to do that today. I didn't mean to make you worry about me." And Shigure gave him a light smile filled with the warmth he was only now growing accustomed to.

"You don't have to apologize to me." Shigure replied kindly. "You're a good kid, Yuki, and I trust you."

Yuki felt his cousin's casual statement stir something deep within him. Having the cursed spirit of the rat dwelling within him, he himself was often viewed with distrust and associated with the zodiac spirit's treachery and betrayal. With the way the rat had used the ox spirit to arrive first to the banquet, and had tricked the cat spirit into missing the banquet entirely, Yuki himself was rarely looked upon by the others as trustworthy. At a loss for words to his cousin's seemingly inconsequential act of kindness, Yuki merely gave the small bob of his head in acknowledgment and wordless gratitude.

"I'm going upstairs to change out of my uniform." He murmured softly, and Shigure gave the nod of his head to this.

"Dinner will be in half an hour, so don't be too long." Shigure replied, sounding like the mature, responsible guardian he rarely was. "What do you want to eat tonight?"

"Do we have anything _other_ than leftover takeout?" Yuki muttered a little bitterly as he agilely slipped off his other shoe to make his way further into the house.

"Nope!" Shigure responded cheerfully with a childish grin, and Yuki rolled his eyes.

"Then I'll have leftover takeout." Yuki grumbled as he made his way up the stairs to his room.

"Excellent!" He heard his cousin exclaim as the man disappeared into his study.

As Yuki quickly scaled the stairs and made his way down the hall in silence, his heart filled with nervous anticipation. Crossing the threshold of his room, he quietly placed the bags along his unkempt bed and took off his winder jacket before crossing the room once more to close his door. The soft click of the door's lock followed, and Yuki let out the featherlight breath of a sigh as he placed his forehead to the door of his room.

He hadn't meant to lie to his cousin. And, in honesty, it wasn't so much a lie as it had been a benign omission of the full truth. Because he _had_ in fact gotten Akito a _very_ nice gift. One he was sure his cousin and the head of the family would be pleased with. But...that hadn't been the _only_ thing he had purchased today. Though he knew his cousin was very close to Akito, Yuki trusted Shigure enough that-if he were merely to ask-his cousin would keep this small secret from the head of the family.

But.

His trust in his cousin didn't stop the memories of abuse and all of the feelings attached to them. He remembered that black room. Even now, almost three years later. And even though he felt completely safe in his cousin's home, Yuki was smart enough to know that he could be called back to live at the main estate with Akito at any time the head of the family so wished it. And there would be little his cousin could do to prevent that if it were to happen. So, what he had done today, he intended to keep to himself.

For now.

Because, he feared the darkness. He had lost everything. Once. And he wondered if anyone could really fault him for guarding what he had with such secrecy now.

Steadying himself, he lightly pressed his palms to the hard surface in order to push himself from the door. He had work to do, and, he needed to do it quickly if he didn't want to get caught. Despite his nervousness, he found himself filled with the same amount of excitement and exhilaration. His heart thrummed in his chest like a humming bird as he walked back towards his bed. Back, towards the bags he had placed there. Digging through the first, long slender, delicate fingers dipped themselves in to grasp Akito's gift. Placing it with care on his modest work desk, he turned towards the other bag.

And he smiled.

Gingerly reaching his fingers into the bag, he removed the item. A package of Christmas lights. And the smile along his face grew in childlike joy. Fingertips quickly opened the package and he made swift work of removing them and stretching them out. Quickly, he grabbed the chair from his work desk and placed it against the furthest wall from his bed, by the door. And he went to work stringing them along the single wall.

Just one string.

But.

It was enough.

As he stepped off the chair and plugged them in, he quickly went to turn off the light of his bedroom. When he did so, instead of the space being plunged into darkness, it came aglow with the soft multi colors of each little light on the single string. Like fireflies. And it was _so_ beautiful. But he only lingered in their beauty for but a moment before placing his chair back in its proper place.

Yuki finally went through his book-bag to retrieve the devotional card he had held onto for so many years. Delicately digging through the bag, he removed the bible that went everywhere with him now, along with the card. Both gifts of such immeasurable value that he deeply cherished. Taking the bible, he opened it to where it had been marked and he gave his precious family a loving smile before placing the card upright along his desk where he could see them. And they could see him.

Quietly sitting himself down on the floor against his unmade bed, he placed the bible he held in his lap, and wordlessly read where he had placed the mark earlier in the week. As he read by the Christmas light's glow, another little smile filled with wonder played along his lips.

 _ _For God so loved the world...__

 _ _that He gave His only Son.__

 _ _So that everyone who believes in Him might not perish...__

 _ _but might have eternal life.__

 _ _-John 3:16__

That kind of love.

Yuki wanted that kind of love. Desperately. And in this moment, he thought, that maybe he could have just a little taste of that kind of love. Siting in his darkened room. In the silence. Under the warm glow of the Christmas lights. With his bible in his lap. For the very first time in his life...

Yuki celebrated Christmas.

* * *

 **A/N: I honestly hadn't really intended this to be a segment of this story. But now I am so very happy that I had the chance to do it. I apologize for the length, as I had intended to keep it under 1,000 words like the rest of the chapters. But then, this chapter wasn't suppose to happen at all, right?**

 **Merry Christmas, my friends. For unto us, a child is born.**


	11. Sixteen

**A/N: I know I'm not the only one to say this, simply because I've read more than one update to other authors stories, but I too feel obliged to bring up the new Fruits Basket reboot. I had the honor and privilege of watching it yesterday and, though I had always intended on writing this scene from the beginning of this story, I have to admit that watching the first episode of the new series was the motivation that I needed to put this chapter into action. I do apologize for the length, as I am purposely trying to keep each chapter under 1,000 words. But, honestly, the majority of the bulk of this chapter is actual dialogue from the first episode of the new series. How many times did I have to watch it in order to accurately transcribe the lines? A lot. The answer is...a lot. But the hard work was worth it, and I hope that you all enjoy this update to a story that is very close to my heart.**

 **Thank you to all who continue to read this, and those who review, and those who have waited patiently for three months for this update. You guys are amazing, and this story and my writing would not continue and progress without your loving support.**

 **And...to my dearest friend, ItalicstoBold. I know you're reading this. And I only have two words for you, love. I. Win.**

* * *

 _'Blessed is the man who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proven he will receive the crown of life that He promised to those who love Him.'_

 _-James 1:12_

Yuki rose early this morning. Readying himself for school as he always did. His first year of high school at a co ed academy had been more challenging than he had first anticipated. But it had been worth it. Being able to face his fear head on, even if this appearance of inner strength was merely a facade. It was nice to know that he'd at least had enough courage to _try_ when everything in him had told him not to. Though there had been a few close calls, as he'd managed to amass his fare share of female admirers, Yuki had for the most part been rewarded for his valiant efforts.

He applied himself and did well academically, though that had never been a difficulty for him. But still. Even now, having spent years away from the main estate and the influence of the family's head, Yuki found himself struggling socially. Though he had his classmates admiration, envy, and infatuation, something was still amiss. Because he still seemed to lack the one thing he truly desired.

Friendship.

He wanted friends.

And...

He didn't.

Because making friends required allowing others to get close to him. And letting people in. Letting them get close. _That_ absolutely terrified him. Because if someone managed to become close enough to be his friend, then that mean they would be close enough to see him for who he really was. _What_ he really was.

Cursed.

Afflicted.

A freak.

So he continued to keep everyone at arms length.

Walking towards his window with a stoic and slightly disheartened expression, Yuki decided to open the window to his room in order to decide if he should wear a jacket today. It was mid September, and the weather was beginning to cool and give way into the chill of autumn. Though his health had steadily improved with his age, Yuki still needed to be mindful of his asthma. But as he opened the window to his room, he was greeted with the pleasant surprise of sunshine and warmth, and the faintest lingering of a summer's breeze.

It looked like today would be another hot one.

These fare-weather days were the kind that Yuki truly and genuinely enjoyed. Days when, in his youth, both he and the head of the family had typically been well enough to be around others. He cherished those days, and held them dear. Today would be the perfect day for sneaking away to his secret base after school with his bible and gardening tools. Yuki smiled to this, though it was a smile reserved and short lived as his expression crumpled and furrowed in curiosity.

His attention was drawn towards a conversation that seemed to be occurring down below, just outside of the house. Yuki could hear his older cousin, Shigure, talking indistinctly to someone. A _female_ someone. And Yuki gave an almost put-upon sigh. If Shigure were talking to a woman, there was _no_ way that this could end well without his intervention, and so Yuki began to make his way downstairs to do just that. Honestly...living with the man was like being the keeper of his own guardian. Most days the man seemed to need almost constant supervision from someone more mature than himself.

And it just so happened that Yuki was that someone...

As he quietly sauntered down the stairs and through the hallway past the main living area with all of the silent stealth of his cursed spirit, Yuki could more clearly hear the unfolding conversation. The woman's voice sounded unfamiliar to him. And young. So he assumed that it wasn't Shigure's editor who had stopped by.

So then...

Who?

Yuki crept closer, just down the hall, towards the opening to their home's exterior deck. And he listened, eavesdropping. Ever the curious creature that he was.

"When my mom had told me the story... All I could thing was _'The poor cat, how sad! Okay, that's it! From now on I'm a cat, not a dog!'_ " Yuki heard the young, female voice exclaim, followed by a faint pause from the telling of her story and his cousin's voice.

"Ah..." He heard his cousin's almost singsong tone as Shigure spoke quietly. "If he heard _that_ little story, I wonder how he'd feel..?"

Yuki scowled at this. Was Shigure talking about Kyo?

"Uhm, pardon?" The young woman seemed to stuttered in slight confusion before Shigure brushed this off.

"So, then. Year of the Dog?" Shigure continued, and the sound of his voice caused Yuki's displeased look to deepen.

If the sound of his older cousin's voice was any indication at all, Shigure was planning on being entirely inappropriate with this young woman unless Yuki stopped him.

"That makes me feel _so_ much closer to you already." Shigure said, the tone of his voice on the cusp of a lecherous smile. "After all, I'm a Dog-"

 _WHAM!_

"Ah!" Shigure whimpered out in a surprised gasp towards Yuki's book-bag assault. "My head!" Though his cousin's well deserved punishment did little to ease Yuki's irritation with him this morning.

"Will you at least _try_ to control your baser urges..?" Yuki hissed in a dangerously low, threatening tone before he was completely taken by surprise. "Miss Honda?" He replied, taking in the startled expression of his classmate towards his violent display. "Hello." Yuki uttered in a cool, delicate tone, his whole being filled with a sense of shame that she'd seen this rather undignified side of him.

He hadn't expected the voice to be of someone he knew.

"I hope my cousin here hasn't frightened you too badly."

"Wait!" He heard the young woman squeak out in stunned surprise as her whole face flushed in a brilliant shade of pink. "Sohma?!" She stuttered, eyes wide, her words coming in a breathless rush. "Why are _you_ here?! I mean, good morning!" And through his classmates fumbling Yuki vaguely registered his older cousin's griping in the background.

"What do you have in there, a dictionary or something?"

" _Two_ dictionaries, actually..." Yuki quipped frostily in a refined, flat deadpan.

 _'And a bible'_ he thought to himself as he gave his older, lecherous cousin a disparaging glance. Maybe if the man were struck hard enough with the Good Book, some moral probity and a little bit of Godliness could be knocked into him.

...maybe...

After a chastising look from his older cousin as he fought against the very real urge to roll his eyes, Yuki turned his attention to his classmate once more. And he managed to school his features into a pleasant smile despite the agitation he still felt towards Shigure's flirtatious antics.

"Uh, morning."

"What's this? You two know each other?" Yuki heard Shigure ask, though he didn't bother looking in the man's direction.

"Miss Honda and I are in the same class." He uttered matter-of-factly to the dog of a man as he continued to look upon their surprise guest with some curiosity.

"I'm Tohru Honda." The young woman replied with a low, polite bow to his cousin. "It's nice to meet you!"

"Same here." Shigure murmured suavely. "My name's Shigure Sohma. Yuki's my little cousin."

"What brings you to our house this morning?" Yuki cut in as he held his classmate's large, sweet innocent gaze while she looked from his older cousin to him.

"Um..." She stuttered out, clearly nervous and suspiciously attempting to evade a direct answer as she spoke. "I live around here, that's all." Her words spilling far too quickly from her lips to be believable.

"Around _here_?" It was Shigure who'd asked this, his own voice and expression holding some incredulity towards this claim. "...really..?"

"You too?" Yuki echoed with the cant of his head to the young woman's claim as she began to back away, waving her hands.

"Uh-I'll just be going!"

"Miss Honda..?" Yuki called, causing her to stop, her expression guarded as she peered over her shoulder at him.

"Yes..?"

"You're headed to school." This came more of a statement than a question with the given time of day, his expression polite and kind as he looked to her. "Why don't we walk together?" With that the two of them began what was, for Yuki anyway, a typical school day.

Though it'd had a most unusual beginning, everything else about this day had been typical. Normal. Mundane and pleasant. For Yuki. And he'd done exactly as he'd set out to at the beginning of this day when school had ended, spending time with his fingers in the earth and his nose stuck in his bible. One of the gifts from Grandpa Chen. A book like none he'd ever read before. It wasn't merely a story with a plot line. A beginning, middle, and an end.

No.

It was so much more than that. It was a book...filled with the experiences of people who had lived, and loved, and suffered. People who had made mistakes and, against all odds, were forgiven. It was filled with sadness, pain, and loss. But also joy. Redemption. And hope.

It was filled with hope.

And the way that these people were strengthened and redeemed through their suffering...well...Yuki felt that it somehow gave his own suffering an amount of meaning. Some dignity, even. Reading this book gave purpose to his own suffering. His curse and affliction. And that fact made it just a little easier for him to bear the weight of the cursed zodiac spirit within him.

It had grown late, and the sun's light was slowly fading by the time Yuki had finally made it back home. And he quickly washed up before going out to eat with his older cousin. Again. Because neither one of them could manage to prepare a dish that was actually edible. As the two of them made their way back to their home, Yuki enduring how his cousin bemoaned the fact that they had needed to go out for food again, they stumbled across something that gave them both pause.

A tent.

In the middle of nowhere.

A sight made all the more peculiar when the familiar face of his classmate, Tohru Honda, emerged from said tent.

And before Yuki could even manage a coherent thought or word, his cousin began to laugh. And Laugh. And laugh, before eventually coaxing the young girl back to their home, where she explained that she had been living in the tent since May when her grandfather's home had undergone construction. As they spoke, and she explained the circumstances surrounding her living on their property-begging to stay in her little tent until the renovations to her grandfather's home were complete-everything changed in the blink of an eye. With a landslide that had completely decimated her tent.

The young girl had been completely devastated at the loss of her temporary home. And matters had only been made worse and exasperated when she'd been overcome with a fever. They'd had no choice, except to take her in for the night and help her to retrieve what was left her belongings from the landslide in the morning. It was the right thing to do. And...surprisingly...it had been Shigure's suggestion.

As Shigure prepared a guest bed for the poor girl, Yuki went to retrieve the ice pack for her fever that Shigure had half heartedly attempted to get from the kitchen before giving up due to the mess. While in the other room, Yuki began to hear his classmate talking to his cousin. And again, as with their conversation this morning, Yuki wordlessly listened in.

"I'm sorry." He heard Tohru weakly whisper form where she lay swaddled in a floral comforter. "It looks like I've lost my home again." And Yuki frowned at this, the fact that she was apologizing for having been displaced.

As if it were somehow her own fault that a landslide and destroyed her temporary dwelling.

"That must be tough." Shigure whispered as he slowly knelt down next to her bed.

"No." Tohru murmured quietly before correcting herself. "I mean, I wish it hadn't happened. But I've been through worse."

"Something worse than this?" Yuki heard Shigure ask, somewhat dubiously. "Like what?" And Yuki waited silently in the shadows, curious to hear what she would say next.

And her voice manifested so quietly from underneath the blankets as she softly spoke into the darkness.

"Like...missing the chance to say 'see you when you get back.'" She spoke through a half hearted laugh before falling silent, then continuing again. "It was the morning of the day my mom died." Tohru said. "I'd stayed up almost all night studying for a quiz. She was leaving for work, but I couldn't wake up." Tohru paused a moment, her words slowed and tired as she spoke to Yuki's cousin. "It's the only morning I didn't say it. I always said it...except for that one time." She said. "Mainly, I'd been thinking about quitting school and getting a job instead. But, mom told me. _'I only made it as far as middle school, you know. I always wished I'd gotten to try the 'high school girl' thing. So you go out there hand have those experiences I didn't get to have.'_ " Tohru's voice came heartbroken and sad as she spoke about her mother, someone she clearly loved and was very close to.

Someone she was very sad to have lost.

"She was the _best_ mom. And I didn't say goodbye. That morning, I didn't even open my eyes to watch her leave." She said. "I'm an idiot. Making a bad grade. Getting a job. Those things aren't what should have mattered. Mom was. The least I can do now is graduate from high school like she wanted me to. I have to make that dream come true." Her voice grew heavy with the weight of these emotions, her exhaustion, and the fever that burned through her body. "I can't just lie here, and do nothing, because of...some...fever..." And in an instant, her voice faded into the nothingness that claimed her as she finally fell asleep.

"Supersizing..." Yuki whispered.

"Hm..?" Shigure looked from the girl on their living room floor to his little cousin.

"She's so cheerful and upbeat at school. Always." Yuki murmured quietly from where he stood. "I wouldn't have guess she'd been through so much." He said, pausing a moment before speaking again in a hushed tone as not to wake her. "It's amazing."

And...

It was.

With everything she'd gone through. All of the pain, and heartache, and loss. She was so joyful in her suffering. And it made him think of all those people he'd read about in his bible. It was amazing. _She_...was amazing.

"Amazing?" He heard Shigure ask curiously. "How so?"

"Well." Yuki lightly replied in a measured, thoughtful tone. "Take me and the Sohmas. I thought I'd broken free of them. But I haven't, really, or I would have bought a tent like Miss Honda. And gone off someplace where they couldn't find me." He said, lowering his eyes to the young girl sleeping in their home. "I'm realizing that I'm...spoiled."

These words fell from his lips as Yuki looked upon his classmate, and in that moment he found himself completely and utterly humbled in the truest sense of the word. This humility came all consuming within him, and a moment of silence followed this chastisement before the sound of his cousin's voice drew his eyes away from his classmate.

"It's actually pretty rude, you know." Shigure said. "Calling her suffering _'amazing'_." And Yuki gave a small, self-deprecating sigh to this.

"True." He said, before silently approaching his cousin to hand him the ice pack for Tohru's fever. "Can you take things from here?"

"Don't tell me you're planning to go dig up the land slide." Shigure said with some disapproval, clear concern written along his features as Yuki continued to make his way to the door. "That's a lot to manage alone. Want me to come along?"

"Alone?" Yuki scoffed towards his cousin's words, his back to Shigure. "I'll have _plenty_ of help." He said, finally turning towards his cousin again to reveal the smirk of a smile that played along his lips. "Don't worry about me."

Suddenly, and without warning, a whole host of vermin came flocking to his aid at the beckon call of the cursed spirit that resided within him. As he turned to leave, and go about the business of reclaiming what was left of Tohru Honda's possessions from the rubble of her home, Yuki heard the soft parting words of his cousin. Echoed words he'd heard from the girl's lips.

"See you when you get back."


End file.
